Editing Laconia (section)

===Modern===
With the exception of a [[Kingdom of the Morea|30-year interval]] of [[Republic of Venice|Venetian]] rule, Laconia remained under Ottoman control until the outbreak of the [[Greek War of Independence]] of 1821. Following independence, Sparta was selected as the capital of the modern prefecture, and its economy and agriculture expanded. With the incorporation of the British-ruled [[United States of the Ionian Islands|Ionian Islands]] into Greece in 1864, [[Elafonissos]] became part of the prefecture. After [[World War II]] and the [[Greek Civil War]], its population began to somewhat decline, as people moved from the villages toward the larger cities of Greece and abroad.

In 1992, a devastating fire ruined the finest [[olive]] crops in the northern part of the prefecture, and affected the area of [[Sellasia]] along with [[Oinountas]] and its surrounding areas. Firefighters, helicopters and planes battled for days to put out the horrific fire.

In early 2006, flooding ruined olive and citrus crops as well as properties and villages along the Eurotas river. In the summer 2006, a fire devastated a part of the Mani Peninsula, ruining forests, crops, and numerous villages.